Whatsapp new policy: In the latest scrutiny on social media app Whatsapp, the Ministry of information and Technology (MEITY) has written a letter to the chat app asking it to keep Indian users out of the new privacy policy and the new terms and conditions that users have to accept to use the app.
The government has written to WhatsApp head, ‘Will Cathcart” asking him to “respect the informational privacy and data security of Indian users” and withdraw the latest terms and privacy policy in India proposed by the messaging service for users. In a letter, it has expressed strong concerns over the policy days after on January 11 reported that the government was closely examining the matter.
What’s the Whatsapp new policy?
Under this WhatsApp new policy, it would allow the app to share more user data with Facebook, which is its parent company, as well as help it roll out an e-commerce component within the app. The letter from the ministry has been sent to WhatsApp CEO Will Cathcart.
The new policy has not gone down well with the users. Millions of users have moved to compete for platforms such as Signal and Telegram after the new policy started appearing in WhatsApp as a pop-up, asking users to accept it or else lose access to WhatsApp by the end of February. After the agitation, the company has pushed the implementation of its new policy by May 15. The new policy has also been challenged in the Delhi High Court.
What are the objections raised?
In its letter to WhatsApp, MEITY has raised several questions and objections. It points out that sharing of some data — including business data — generated with WhatsApp with Facebook will further weaken the information security of the users.
The government also raised objection to the fact that WhatsApp has different policies for users across the world. In the EU the same policy that WhatsApp is forcing on Indian users will not be implemented. The ministry has raised 14 questions from WhatsApp on how user data is utilized and what sort of privacy protections users get.
Respect Indians, WhatsApp told
The Indian government did not forget the fact that India is the biggest market for WhatsApp. With over 400 million users in India, the changes will have a disproportionate impact on the country’s citizens., the government felt.
Urging the messaging platform to properly respect Indians, the government said: “any unilateral changes to the WhatsApp Terms of Service and Privacy would not be fair and acceptable.’
Upping the ante, the government asked WhatsApp to provide details of the services provided by it in India, categories of data collected, and permissions and consents sought.
WhatsApp has to give details of data sharing with other apps and if it captures information about other apps running on the mobile phones of the user.
The Ministry wanted to know from WhatsApp technical architecture and server hosting data of Indian users.
“The collection and onward sharing with Facebook companies, of sensitive personal data of individuals portends an ecosystem where any meaningful distinction between companies and WhatsApp will cease to exist,” it said and added: “This approach has the potential to infringe on core values of data privacy, user choice, and autonomy of Indian users.”
